


Alex's Dog Sitting Service

by Katzencreme



Category: Marble Hornets
Genre: Character Study, Drama, Early in Canon, Friendship, Gen, Pre-Canon, Seth's dog deserved more screen time, Slenderverse, rosswood, you brought your dog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27972428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katzencreme/pseuds/Katzencreme
Summary: Alex Kralie just wanted a relaxing weekend. A few days to sleep in and catch up on the rest that unexplainable bouts of nightly paranoia have persistently robbed him of. But that all gets turned on its head when an unexpected visit from Seth lands Alex with the job of caring for Seth’s dog Walnut for a few days, a request he only very reluctantly accepts. One thing is for sure, it’s going to be an interesting weekend. How will he treat Walnut? Will Walnut and Rocky get along? Will he grow to like Walnut after all? Will he take the dogs to the park? Find out by reading this short series. Updates weekly.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. A Weekend Visitor

**Author's Note:**

> This is written with the assumption that the dog Alex was walking during one of his early encounters with the Operator is in fact Alex’s dog and not someone else’s. 
> 
> A wonderfully made animation that sets the mood for this fic: Credits to atlasofgalaxies on Youtube.  
> https://youtu.be/3ORdkEOfzeI

It was 8 o’ clock on a Saturday morning and Alex’s sleep was disturbed by the sound of a hesitant but audible knock at his front door. Seething, white-hot anger immediately bubbled up in his chest towards this uninvited visitor. Sleeping for a reasonable amount of hours was near impossible for him to come by nowadays. Whenever he closed his eyes, he would jolt awake to find himself gripped by the prickling sensation of paranoia. Alex would’ve been grateful that his mind automatically alerted himself to danger, except for the fact that it was always a false alarm. Each time it happened, he’d lay motionless beneath the covers and strain to catch a flicker of movement in the darkness, only to discover an empty room. The worst part was that even when he’d assured himself of his safety, the feeling of eyes boring into his still form from a dark corner never really dissipated. The fear only grew more palpable when Rocky appeared in the doorway to growl threateningly at his blinded shut window. Alex would imagine the presence of a stealthy outside intruder just waiting for a chance to break his way in. He’d spring straight up to determinedly poke around outside with the one poor quality flashlight he owned. Maybe it was about time he invested in a better one. He never found anything of course. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised by now. And after all that, he stood no chance of falling back asleep with the hollow feeling of dread still clutching at his chest, so he’d wander around his house in the gloom for hours until the first light of dawn pierced the sky.

And now on this particular morning, right after he’d miraculously slept the whole night through without any disturbances, someone had decided to rob him of his chance to sleep in for a change. Alex decided to ignore the visitor completely and go back to sleep, though he had to make an effort to tune out the sound of Rocky’s barking at whomever stood on the other side. It was probably some annoying neighbor trying to sell him gourmet popcorn or something. Maybe if he didn’t answer the door, they’d assume that he wasn’t at home. However, he was shaken out of the comforts of shoving his head underneath his pillow at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Alex? Alex, are you awake? It’s me, Seth! I’m sorry that it’s so early, but an emergency came up and you’re the only person who can help me. I’d make it up to you!”

Alex groaned in exasperation and buried his head deeper under the covers. So it was Seth paying him a visit. He could now add common decency to his growing list of things that Seth was particularly bad at, which currently included keeping the camera running and following basic directions. Presently, it seemed that determination was one of the rare traits that couldn’t be counted among Seth’s weak points. Seth’s voice only grew more desperate as the minutes passed. 

“Look Alex, I know you’re there. Your car is in the driveway. Can you please open the door? I wouldn’t disturb you if it wasn’t important. I’ll be out of your hair soon, I promise.”

Alex swore under his breath. His car. How could he have forgotten? He’d been parking his car in the driveway lately to make a quick escape more convenient, on the off chance his paranoia proved genuine. Alex sighed defeatedly. He supposed he could tolerate humoring Seth for a few minutes to see what he so badly wanted. He shifted himself upright to retrieve his glasses from the nightstand. With his thoughts still clouded by the heavy haze of sleep, the metal frames sat crookedly across his nose. Alex didn’t even bother changing out of his pyjamas as he stomped bitterly over to the door, taking time to nudge Rocky out of the way. If he was going to be disturbed, then he would at least make it painfully obvious to the friend on his front porch that he’d chosen an ungodly hour to make a house call. Alex wrenched the door open to stand face to face with Seth, who was about to give a friendly greeting but stopped short at the sight of Alex’s predatory glare. Seth took a cautious step back. 

“Um, morning Alex!” he said hesitantly. “Thanks for answering the door. I just wanted to ask if you could....”  
“Do you know how early it is?” interrupted Alex in a thunderous tone. “And that it’s a Saturday morning? This had better be important, Seth, because if it’s not, I swear, you and I aren’t going to be on the best of terms on this film of mine.”

Seth shifted uncomfortably and broke away from Alex’s burning gaze to stare at the floor. He’d been expecting this sort of reaction, but the circumstances had come on so suddenly that his options were severely limited. Plus, the reason for his coming here was important enough to him to make risking his friend’s wrath worth the attempt. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Alex’s again. “I’m truly sorry Alex, I am, and I know how early it is and that it must be inconvenient for you, but I really do need your help. I don’t have anyone else to ask. I tried asking everyone else from Marble Hornets first, but Brian was busy with exams, Sarah was out of town visiting family for the weekend, Tim’s apartment doesn’t allow pets, Amy is always with you anyway and I just don’t know Jay that well yet, so that leaves you as the only person who could watch him for…”

“You’re rambling, Seth, just get to the point,” snapped Alex impatiently. “Who do you mean by “he”?”

Seth blinked. He realized that he was letting his fear of Alex’s temper lead him to tiptoe around saying what he actually wanted. He’d never been very good at standing up to Alex, especially when the criticism directed against himself was connected with his personal skills, most often his camera work. In the past Seth had almost entirely relied on the other crew members to defend him on set. It physically pained him to hear his friends take the brunt of Alex’s passive-aggressiveness, all from trying to defend his own decisions. It was a personal weakness that he’d decided to consciously work on during his further interactions with Alex. Standing his ground at a moment like this, when Alex was significantly agitated, would only provide better practice. He tried to ease his nerves by taking several slow, meditative breaths, which did little in the way of help. By this point, Rocky had found a way around Alex’s legs and hurtled forward to greet Seth by giving his outstretched hand a few happy licks. The dog was now weaving around his legs in tight circles and trying his best to gain Seth’s attention. The sight of Rocky’s excitement gave Seth the boost in resolve that he’d been searching for. 

“It’s my dog Walnut,” he blurted out, trying to sound as assertive as possible. “I need someone to take care of him for a few days while I’m gone for a film interview this weekend.” “I’d leave him at home and have someone check on him, but Walnut really hates being alone and I’d rather have a friend watch him. Plus, he gets along well with other dogs and I figured that he and Rocky would become great friends. I have him right here.” Seth moved his right hand in front of his chest to reveal the leash that was wrapped around his fingers, which he’d carefully hid from Alex’s sight. “Come here, Walnut, that’s a good boy.” An adult chocolate lab pattered happily into view, who turned to stare inquisitively at Alex. “He’s a really good dog. He always listens and never causes any trouble. He’s been my companion for years and I just know he’d make a good first impression.” Walnut and Rocky quickly took notice of each other and began to introduce themselves, before playfully starting a wrestling match on the front lawn. “See, they’re best friends already,” acknowledged Seth with a laugh. 

Alex almost slammed the door in Seth’s face right then and there, but he managed to barely restrain himself. “He’s...He’s serious,” he thought to himself with growing incredulousness as Seth continued on listing Walnut’s countless admirable qualities. “He really brought his dog, called him onto my front porch, and fully expects me to act as a pet sitter. And for an entire weekend too.” There was silence for a few seconds as Alex processed the full extent of Seth’s request. Seth noticed the change in reaction and fell silent as well, while reaching a hand down to pat Walnut on the head, who wagged his tail affectionately and attempted to counter a jump attack by Rocky. The disbelief on Alex’s face gradually contorted itself into a blend of irritation and outrage. 

“How in the world did you come to the brilliant conclusion that this was in any way a good idea?” demanded Alex in a scathing tone to a bewildered Seth. “I don’t want to babysit your dog for any number of days. How am I supposed to get any productive work done with two dogs following me around all day? You’ve already proven once that having that dog around leads to nothing but distractions.” Alex was clenching his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning a ghostly shade of white. Walnut only grew more excited by Alex’s heightened emotions and wagged his tail faster. The chocolate lab took a playful step in Alex’s direction, though Walnut was still hesitant to get too far away from Seth. 

Seth shrank back from the hostility dripping from Alex’s words and began to sincerely worry that Alex wouldn’t be persuaded to do this favor. Seth had no intention of leaving his beloved companion in the hands of someone who despised him and wouldn’t take the time to care for Walnut as he deserved. He briefly considered leaving and checking Walnut into a dog hotel instead, but discarded the idea at the thought of the expenses and his college student status. Alex may be angry right now, but he might calm down enough to agree to the request after having some time to think things through. After all, Alex may be hotheaded, but he isn’t a monster either. “Please Alex,” he begged. “I swear Walnut won’t be any trouble. I’ve never had any reason to be mad at him. And you still have my word that I’ll repay you for the time. If you ever need my help with anything later, I’ll be happy to do it. I’d even watch Rocky sometime if you needed.” 

Alex drew out a long, weary sigh. He glanced down again at Walnut, who was staring up at him with shining brown eyes and held his head cocked to the side at the sound of Alex’s unfamiliar voice. From what Alex could tell, the only thing stopping Walnut from bounding over to greet him was the fact that Seth hadn’t given him permission to do so. Walnut was clearly a loyal, friendly dog that Seth held great regard for. It was the same qualities that Alex admired in Rocky. He pondered for a minute. Now that he thought about it, it would probably do some good to have another dog in the house that could help frighten away whatever was causing his recurring paranoia. His personal opinions aside, Walnut was a fairly large dog and would likely pose a threat to any intruders that might be roaming around undetected. Personally, he’d noticed that Rocky appeared brave when he barked at shadows and unseen threats, yet tended to shy away from actual danger. Perhaps having Walnut as a housemate would help inspire bravery in Rocky, and be good for him in general. At the very least, having another dog close by would make him feel safer, even if the danger was all in his head. He nodded to himself. Perhaps doing this favor for Seth wouldn’t be so bad after all. He made up his mind.

“Alright, Seth,” stated Alex with newfound resolution. “I’ll take care of Walnut for the weekend. Sorry for being angry at you. Frankly, after all of your nonstop talking, I’m about ready to give up and regain some peace and quiet. He paused for a brief second before adding, “You’re my friend after all, so how could I really say no.” 

Seth’s face visibly brightened as he broke into a triumphant grin. “Thanks so much Alex! I knew you’d come around! I know for sure that Walnut won’t disappoint you. It’s just for a few days, and you’ll see how wonderful of a dog he is. You’re a lifesaver, really!” Something about the way Alex said that last sentence came off to him as a bit doubtful though. 

Alex shrugged dismissively. “I’m sure we’ll get along just fine. And Rocky clearly has no objections. Does he have any supplies or needs that I should know about before you head off to your interview?” 

Seth nodded and pulled out a bag from his jacket pocket. “I have everything he needs right here: food, his favorite toy, dog treats, and his leash of course. He usually eats two main meals a day in the morning and the evening, with some treats or a snack or two during the day. Walnut also really loves walks so if you have time that would make him very happy. He can fall asleep pretty much anywhere so if you don’t want him on your bed, it’s totally fine. He tends to forget how big of a dog he is though, so if you aren’t paying attention, he might try to jump up on your lap if you’re on the computer or what not. You can just tell him “down” and he’ll give you some space.” He handed over the bag to Alex.

“Great, I’m sure that will be a joy when I edit,” Alex grumbled to himself. He had to admit though, the enthusiasm and affection with which Seth spoke about his dog was endearing. He even allowed himself a smile at the look of gratitude and relief on Seth’s face. It reminded him of the way he personally felt when he worked on or discussed Marble Hornets, which he held his own kind of fondness for. He could see now why Seth would’ve wanted to take his dog to film shoots, rather than leave Walnut at home, as irrational as it still was. The dog seemed to instantly improve Seth’s mood. He regarded this for a second or two. Maybe he should consider bringing Rocky on set with him sometime. It just might keep his unnatural sleep patterns from affecting his directing, or at least prompt his actors to complain about him less. Jay would watch Rocky on set if Alex asked him to. Something about Jay’s reserved nature drew animals to him, as if they sensed that Jay would always be gentle with them. 

Seth leaned down to Walnut’s eye level and lovingly scratched him behind the ears. “You be good now for Alex and Rocky, you hear me Walnut? He’ll take good care of you while I’m gone for a while, but I promise I’ll be back soon. You’re the best dog I could ever have, and I’ll miss you.” Seth stood up and passed over the leash to Alex, who took it and lowered his hand for Walnut to investigate. Walnut instantly sauntered up to Alex and accepted the hand. After a few cautious sniffs, he decided that he liked Alex very much and began to circle around his legs playfully. Seth smirked. “See Alex? He’s already taking a liking to you. I’ve really got to get on the road now so I get to my interview on time. Just call me if you run into any trouble. I’ll answer back as soon as I can.” 

“Good luck with your interview, Seth,” replied Alex with a nod. He suddenly grinned. “If this film company ever mentions needing a young and incredibly talented film director, could you bring up my name? I’m sure they would jump at the chance.” 

Seth grinned back. “Oh, you can bet I will. I would never dream of letting such talent go to waste.” He turned and headed back to his car. As he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, he turned for a final time to look sadly at Walnut. He was really going to miss him. Seth waved as he sped down the street towards the direction of the highway. Alex waved back and gave Walnut a few comforting pats as he whined quietly at the absence of his owner.

For a while, Alex just stood there, holding the leash in his hand and watching the dog that was now laying by his feet. He couldn’t quite believe that this was happening. Here he was, the bearer of responsibility for the one dog he’d felt such an all consuming annoyance for. His frustration for the owner had automatically attached itself to the dog that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Alex turned and headed back into his house, gently tugging on the leash to signal Walnut to follow him inside. Rocky followed right on Walnut’s heels, overjoyed at the realization that his new friend wasn’t leaving. Alex unclipped Walnut from the leash and watched Walnut begin to explore his new abode. The chocolate lab patiently examined every corner of the house with his nose twitching against every reachable surface. Rocky attempted to act as a kind of doggy tour guide for Walnut, though in actuality he only got in Walnut’s way as he continually bumped into the lab in his proud attempts to show off his favorite toys. Alex had to rush in a few times to whisk away the errant chip bag or leftover snacks before they disappeared into Walnut’s mouth. Rocky was much shorter than Walnut, which left a few items that would have normally been out of the way fair game for a larger dog. After the house had been thoroughly examined, Walnut made himself home on the couch and rested his head on his front paws, completely content to watch this puzzling new human. Rocky soon joined Walnut, stretching himself out nearby and trying to attract his friend’s attention with an orange stuffed pumpkin toy. Alex's mouth turned downwards into a scowl as he saw the brown dog hair on the cushions and floor that had definitely not been there before and left to find an old blanket for Walnut from the closet. He returned with a faded blue one and carefully arranged it across the length of the couch. The two dogs approved of the new, soft surface and adjusted themselves on top of it, using their paws to scrunch the material into a cozy nap spot. 

It was when Alex had gone into the kitchen and had begun unpacking the bag of Walnut’s supplies that the reality of what he’d just gotten himself into hit full force. The one dog he’d sworn he’d have nothing to do with had just claimed sovereignty over his only couch. And he had several days of this to look forward to. “The lack of sleep must really be getting to me,” he mumbled to himself. Appalled, he quickly dialed the number of the one person who could save him from this nightmare. A familiar voice answered immediately.

“Hey Alex,” came Jay’s cheerful voice, though he carried a hint of surprise as well. “Why are you calling so early? Not that I mind of course. Is something wrong? Is there another problem with the script?” Jay automatically thought to ask this after it had become customary for Alex to call him during random bursts of plot inspiration, which tended to occur at inopportune times. More often than not, Alex would get so caught up in the particulars of his ideas that he would ramble on about the best ways to bring them into fruition for hours. Jay never minded of course. He was probably the only one who had the patience to sit through it and chime in now and then, and Alex had always identified Jay as an admirable listener. After all, Jay took his role of script supervisor very seriously.

Alex was surprised at how wide awake Jay sounded despite the early hour. He’d become increasingly concerned lately that Jay simply didn’t sleep at all and spent the early morning hours doing whatever it was that he did. He’d tried asking Jay about it, but Jay had only immediately gone on the defensive and claimed that he was just a night person and worked on “editing and writing stuff”. Well, if Jay didn’t want to discuss his odd sleep habits, that was his business. “No, there’s nothing wrong with the script,” Alex replied, a bit offended, though he knew Jay meant well. “I just wanted to ask if you were in town this weekend.” 

“Yeah, I am,” answered Jay. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong? I mean, I’m down to hang out if you want to.”

“Well that’s great. Perfect, actually,” replied Alex with a great measure of relief. “I need you to stop by and pick up this dog for me and watch him for the weekend. You like animals, right? I’m sure it’d be a cake walk for you.”

Now Jay was really confused. “What dog? Do you mean Rocky? Why would you want me to take him?”

Alex huffed. “No, Jay. I don’t mean Rocky. Seth’s dog’s here too and I need you to come and get him from me immediately. And it’s all because our dear friend Seth doesn’t know what pre-planning is and shoved his dog on me as a last resort. And all at the earliest time imaginable. He said he had an interview and couldn’t find anyone else to take care of him. And I somehow agreed. And now I need you to get me out of this situation.” 

Jay went quiet as understanding dawned on him. Like everyone else involved with Alex’s student film, he was acutely aware of the particularly volatile burst of angry indignation with which Alex had reacted to any other dog in his vicinity. Jay also knew that Seth was also aware of this, and that he would have only done such a thing as ask Alex to be a dog-sitter if it was an emergency. While it was true that driving the short distance to Alex’s house and picking up Walnut would quickly diffuse a tense situation, Jay knew that Seth finding out about Alex transferring Walnut to his care without permission would cause a lot of embarrassment and contempt on Seth’s part, which Jay wanted to avoid. Not to mention Alex, who’d end up feeling guilty about backing out on his agreement, but had become too stubborn to admit to any faults in his character when confronted. Alex would respond to Seth’s disappointment with even more hostility, as was often the case when any of his actors pointed out his behavior. And thus would begin an endless cycle of passive-aggressive sniping on all sides with no foreseeable end. And that was something that Jay didn’t need, as the shouting that was becoming a regular part of set work was already too much for his nerves to handle. He couldn’t bring himself to choose sides in arguments that would place blame on one friend or another, when all he wanted was for everyone to get along like they had at the beginning. Jay knew the best decision was to convince Alex to keep Walnut and maintain Seth’s trust, without Alex thinking he was betraying him. 

“Look, Alex,” Jay cautiously began in the most placating tone he could muster, managing to get in a few words in the midst of Alex’s further complaining about dogs that weren’t Rocky. “I’m sure it can’t really be all that bad, if you think about it. You have Rocky, so you know how to take care of dogs for starters, and Rocky and Walnut will spend a lot of time playing together, so Walnut won’t be bothering you very much. Plus, you gave Seth your word, so I think you should at least make an attempt before giving up so…”

“That’s the thing Jay,” interrupted Alex, who began to pace across the kitchen and gesture wildly at his phone in annoyance. “It’s not giving up if the task is impossible in the first place. Seth doesn’t even have to know. You can just come get Walnut and drop him off before Seth gets back on Monday. And that will be the end of it.” 

“Please Alex, I think you should just give it a chance,” sighed Jay, resting his free hand tiredly across his forehead. I really don’t want to get involved, he mumbled to himself. “Or a day at least before you make any sudden decisions. You probably owe Seth that much.” 

Alex scowled at his phone screen. “You know Jay, I don’t understand why you’re taking Seth’s side. I’m asking for this one small favor and you’re refusing to help me. His tone turned hard and accusatory. Are you questioning our friendship?” 

“N-N-No, it’s not like that at all,” Jay stammered, clutching his phone tightly to his ear as he struggled to find the right words. “Of course I’m still your friend and I’ll always be one. I’m not on anyone’s side, honest. I’m just trying to give you advice that will have the least chance of affecting your friendships with anyone else.” 

Alex rolled his eyes, only to catch a side eye view of Walnut, who’d appeared in the open doorway to the kitchen and was now watching him with interest. The chocolate lab had heard Alex’s increasingly agitated voice and had roused himself from his nap to investigate. As soon as Walnut noticed that the loud human’s attention was on him, he wagged his tail and trotted up to him, happy that Alex was all right. Alex tried his best to ignore him and retain his scorn, but when Walnut refused to leave he half-heartedly lowered his free hand down to scratch Walnut behind the ears. Alex gazed at the dog happily accepting his small display of affection and released another sigh, rolling his eyes toward the sky. 

“Alright alright Jay. I see your point. I suppose giving Seth and his decisions a chance for a day or so would be the best option. But if tomorrow comes and that dog of his is nothing but a nuisance, I’m bringing Walnut over to your house myself, whether Seth likes it or not. There’s only so much I can take.” 

Jay released the breath that he’d been holding in his rising panic. “You have no idea how good that is to hear Alex. I’m sure it will work out better than you think. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be here to help if you need me like always, but it’s better this way. You never know, you might even come to like that dog. Perhaps he’ll change your mind.”

“I very much doubt that,” stated Alex in a flat tone.

“Whatever you say, Alex,” conceded Jay with a shake of his head. Alex was really getting hard to deal with. At least he’d convinced Alex to give it a go. “I’ve got to go now, I have something I need to finish working on.”  
“You’ve probably been working on whatever it is all night,” scoffed Alex with skepticism. “But alright. Thanks for all of your “help.” Talk to you again sometime soon.”

Y-Y-Yeah, no problem,” Jay stammered out. He felt a rush of unease at the curt and undoubtedly sarcastic emphasis that Alex had placed on the word “help.” “Talk to you soon.” He swiftly hung up before anything could escalate further. 

Alex sighed and dropped his hand begrudgingly to his side. He set his phone on the countertop as he turned his full gaze back to Walnut, who was still trying to get Alex to pet him longer by nudging his hand with his nose when he stopped. Alex frowned as he ran a hand through Walnut’s sleek fur. “Well, Walnut,” he stated with a slight grimace. “It’s going to be an interesting weekend.”


	2. The Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex gives Walnut the chance he promised Jay. Walnut and Rocky are distractions and cause mayhem. Alex has trouble getting any work done. He really doesn't understand dogs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's a consistent update. We return to Alex's troubles with dogs and dealing with their strange mannerisms. In this chapter, I tried to give Walnut and Rocky clear personalities and give insight into their thoughts about Alex. 
> 
> Here's another wonderful Youtube contemplation on how often Slenderverse characters get pushed around. You've got to feel bad for them.   
> https://youtu.be/ANuBV4mzuLk  
> Credit to GhostlyAlchemist on Youtube 
> 
> As a break from all of the character death, here's more writing about dogs.

Alex was too emotionally aggravated to cast so much as another glance at his phone. Instead, he turned to the digital clock mounted on the kitchen wall, although he had a sinking feeling about what he would find. The time blinked on the screen in mocking white pixels that seemed to take an eternity to change. 8:30 AM. He still had the entire day to give Walnut this chance of his. A countless stream of hours for things to go wrong. Or if by some miracle nothing did, it would be a day of exhausting emotional restraint. There would only be a few spare moments that he’d be able to find when his steps weren’t scrutinized by at least one set of dog eyes. And he was already exhausted to boot. He was going to have to start practicing some form of deep internal meditation in order to avoid yelling his frustration to the walls of his own house. Either that, or both dogs would keep him running around the house trying to fulfill their attention needs until he collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. But how could he best avoid that? But before he could approach that issue he moved to the sink to fill Walnut’s bowl that Seth had given him with fresh water, and set it down in a corner of the cold floor tile. Alex sat himself down on one of his dining room chairs and rubbed little circles into his temples with his fingers. What could he possibly do that would help solve his growing list of problems?

An answer dawned on him in a flash of brilliant inspiration as he was distractedly running a hand through his short brown hair. The answer was a temporary one, but it promised a measure of time when he could spend a portion of those dreaded hours among the safety of his own subconscious. And not only that, but he could also accomplish what he’d been trying to do before this mess started in one fell swoop. He could just go back to sleep. He’d simply enter his bedroom and surrender himself to his innermost dreams until late morning. There was surely no one, not even Jay, who could stop him from doing so. Plus, Jay never said that he had to constantly keep Walnut in his sight, but rather that he had to take care of him as promised. He could do that, no problem. He wasn’t backing out on his responsibilities. As soon as he woke up again, he would make sure that Walnut had time to run outside, was given the meals that Seth had specified, and had access to fresh water. Since Seth had just recently left, it could be assumed that Walnut had already been given breakfast. The water dish that Alex had set out before was as fresh as ever and in easy access to Walnut. Nothing bad would happen if he went back to bed for a few hours. Rocky would provide adequate company until then. 

As if to further justify his own decision, Alex walked out of the kitchen and studied himself in the hallway mirror. He noticed the crooked eyeglasses and quickly adjusted them to their normal position. Weeks of poor sleep had deepened the bags underneath his eyes, leaving puffy skin that was marked by thin, blueish-purple creases. His brown eyes that had once sparkled with a fervent, creative gleam appeared dull and listless. His hair, which had already been tousled from sleep, had become even more disheveled thanks to the hand that he’d just raked through it. Sections of his hair now stood up in spidery tufts, as if he’d meant to spike his hair but had neglected to form the spikes neatly. He laughed at himself. He couldn’t fathom how Seth had looked him in the face and still had found the nerve to push forward with his plan. One glance at his tired face was enough to tell that he’d been struggling lately. Alex definitely needed the extra sleep. And he wasn’t about to let the arrival of a dog prevent him from obtaining it.

Alex nodded at his own reflection and turned in the direction of his bedroom, nearly tripping over Walnut, who was tailing his footsteps out of the room. Seth had definitely been telling the truth when he’d said that Walnut didn’t like being alone. And it’d only been what, five minutes since Alex had seen him? Rocky was a time commitment in of himself, but even Rocky was more laid back than this. Rocky for his part remained blissfully unaware of the role that Alex had mentally assigned him as the head coordinator for Walnut’s entertainment. As Alex sauntered his way through the living room, Rocky was still in his spot on the couch, following him with his eyes and showing no signs of moving. “Such a great help,” Alex sarcastically muttered as he passed by. “I expected more from your qualifications. I might even have to fire you.” Naturally, Rocky comprehended nothing of what was just said and offered no response of any kind. At least Walnut once again took an active interest in his fellow dog housemate and ceased stalking Alex to sniff at the couch cushions. “See Rocky, just like that. Keep holding his attention and you’ll do wonderfully,” Alex remarked approvingly. He only had to pass along another short hallway before he was safely among the confines of his bedroom.

Alex was far too tired to bother with fully closing and locking the door, so he lazily gave the door a weak shove from behind. The door creaked backwards and lightly bounced off the door frame, leaving a small gap for the hallway light to peek through. The room was still as dark as he’d left it when he’d scrambled out of bed to meet Seth at the door not so long ago. A quick check behind the window blinds into the front yard yielded nothing out of the ordinary. Satisfied with the arrangements, Alex removed his glasses and set them back on his bedside table. The alarm clock that shared the space with the glasses now read 8:50 AM. If he got up at 11:00 AM or even noon, it’d be just at the right time to let the dogs outside without the chance of an accident. After a moment of consideration, Alex set the alarm for noon and crawled back into bed, immediately pulling the sheets over his head and enveloping himself in warm blankets. Most of the time, he automatically woke up 15 minutes or so before the alarm went off, so he could afford the additional hour. Now that it was technically daytime, he shouldn’t be disturbed by nightmares or paranoia for now, which he definitely wouldn’t miss. It wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep, pushing out all thoughts of dogs or inescapable obligations.

Something dark flitted over the thin sheets, causing Alex to stir from his blissfully dreamless sleep. Alex blinked once, scrunched up his eyes, and turned his head toward the mattress with the intent of resuming his slumber. His window blinds were doing a less than favorable job of blocking out the outdoor shadows. Perhaps he could invest in one of those black out curtains that promised complete darkness in whatever room he wished. If they could actually help him stay asleep, it’d be worth the price. For now, pressing his eyes into the closest surface would have to do. He still felt way too weary for his self-assigned naptime to be anywhere near over, so there was no point in checking the time. Except as he lay there half asleep, the corners of his eyes behind his eyelids sensed something large moving past his bed. The effect was slight and disappeared in a flash. But for a few tense seconds, Alex sensed a spot of darkness - much deeper than the darkness behind his eyes - pass across his field of vision. It was like how you can see the shadow of your hand if you wave it over your closed eyes. That shadow moved much too quickly to come from outside. Something was in his room. And Alex was defenseless.

In a roar of rage and expectation, Alex flung the sheets away and lunged for the baseball bat that he kept hidden behind his bed frame. In one practiced motion, he grabbed the bat and swung his body around so he faced the doorway. His feet locked themselves into a battle stance and his arms raised the bat into position above his right shoulder, ready to viciously clober whatever limb of the intruder came in reaching distance. Alex had to rapidly blink several times in order to prompt his eyes to adjust to the relative darkness of the room and access his surroundings. Whoever or whatever it was had yet to take shape beyond a hazy figure of shadow standing halfway between the hallway and the bedroom. The door was being pushed open, and as the gap grew wider and wider, a long shadow stretched itself out menacingly along the length of the floor. Alex’s heart began to go into overdrive as he noticed for the first time that the shadow shared little similarities with a human figure. It was abnormally wide and had multiple thin protrusions, both pointed and clubbed, extending from its main mass. As it came closer, these varied appendages shifted to form equally bizarre shapes, with the thin branches swinging back and forth like pendulums. If Alex was only seeing things, it was a person who was either carrying something with them or was hunched in an uncomfortable position. He really didn’t want to think about the alternative of witnessing something supernatural. A memory kept trying to resurface from the deepest parts of his mind that he couldn’t quite get a grasp on. But he could vaguely recall something white. And a primal, overwhelming fear of everything it represented. The finer details were all fuzzy. There might have been a figure. A white figure that was as spidery thin as the trees around it. And a part of him was terrified at the thought of what unimaginably sinister thing might be waiting just beyond the door. He didn’t truly know how he should react in either case. Whether Alex liked it or not though, the shadow reached its limit and the shape moved fully into the room to reveal…

Dogs. Two of them. None other than Walnut and Rocky. Walking side by side and stopping at the sight of Alex standing oddly in the center of the room with a strange object in his hands. The pair had grown bored of lounging about in the living room and had decided to see where the resident human had gone off to. The human was also capable of taking them to the infinite wonderland known as “outside,” a thrilling possibility that had awakened in them after several hours of staring out the living room window from the couch. With exciting new thoughts of chasing squirrels and traipsing about in the smells of nature, the two dogs had decided to seek out the human and ask for his power of opening the back door. It hadn’t taken them long to pinpoint his location, and all it’d taken to get inside was a few swipes of a paw. The human had been in the process of napping, which Walnut and Rocky fully understood, for they themselves spent a large portion of the day napping. It just felt so comfortable and safe to be dozing inside the house of your best friend and protector. In fact, both dogs had always found it odd that humans didn’t nap nearly as often, preferring instead to run about and spend precious hours doing an exhausting number of things that Walnut and Rocky could never quite understand. What was even stranger was how the human in front of them was reacting to their presence. Alex had gone from relaxed at one moment to letting out startling noises and tossing about his soft nap material the next. Walnut and Rocky didn’t understand the reason for ruining a perfectly good nap spot because of an opened door. Then again, this human in front of them had already proven to be stranger than most. He radiated a constant aggressive aura that the dogs could sense even in moments of calm, which the dogs found infinitely confusing. A silly human indeed. Since Alex remained frozen in the same position, the dogs continued to wag their tails up at him with their silent request in their eyes. 

Alex was absolutely bristling with a mixture of relief, humiliation, and anger. He was mortified that he’d just let himself be scared half to death by dogs, and by his own dog no less. Walnut simply shows up, and a few mere hours later Alex is mistaking the dog he’d by far grown accustomed to living with for a monster. Being lenient with locking the door could now be counted among the gravest mistakes of his life. How could he have not anticipated that a dog could pay him a personal visit at any time with little more than a nudge from its nose? If he’d only been thinking properly, he’d have managed to avoid dire consequences like these. The baseball bat was dropped to the carpet with a soft thunk, which briefly startled the dogs but failed to distract them from their motivation. Alex stood there facepalming in the middle of his room, refusing to acknowledge the cause of his distress a few feet away from him. Having another dog around was supposed to help calm his anxieties, the whole reason he’d even agreed to this job, and not prompt him to threateningly swing around heavy objects at invisible enemies. And it wasn’t even nighttime, so why was he so jumpy? While still avoiding eye contact with either dog, Alex lowered his hand from his face and shot a look at the alarm clock. 11:00 AM. He’d only succeeded in staying asleep for a measly 2 hours and 10 minutes. Trying to fall back asleep for an extra hour was out of the question. His nerves were far too riled up for that to stand a chance of working. Alex shrugged. You took what you got and ran with it. 

Now that he was awake for good this time, he supposed he’d better go make himself brunch. All of that stress had made him hungry, and both he and Amy always made sure to keep the fridge well stocked. Speaking of Amy, she was just as caught up this weeked with school work as his friends, and wouldn’t be able to find time to stop over and help him out with this dog business. What a story he’d have to tell her when they hung out as usual after class next week. He still carried a lingering grudge for having been woken up in the alarming way he had. So rather than address Rocky and Walnut, he stepped around them and headed towards the kitchen. The dogs, sensing that their human was ignoring them, quickly followed him for another chance of gaining access to the great outdoors. As Alex crossed through the kitchen doorway, the first thing he went for was the coffee maker. He only felt marginally less exhausted than he had before his nap, so caffeine was the only way that he’d be able to make it through the day. As the liquid brewed, he crossed to the kitchen table to boot up his laptop. The table made an effective work space, since it was quiet and provided ample space to scatter about his movie scripts and brainstorming scribblings. He found himself working there often enough that he had taken to leaving his laptop there in its case when he was finished. The screen glowed a familiar white as the icons of his various editing programs popped up on his desktop. 

The sound of trickling liquid stopped, alerting him that his coffee was ready. Alex rose up and retrieved the mug of steaming liquid. He couldn’t muster the energy to take the time to sweeten it, so he carried it straight back to the table with him. Once he was seated at his laptop, he pulled up his email and sipped irritatedly at his bitter black coffee, only to immediately spit out a mouthful at the sensation of his tongue being dipped in lava. He’d forgotten how hot the coffee still was. Great. His day was just getting better and better. Grumbling, he set his coffee to the side to cool while he wiped away the condensation that’d collected on his glasses. Alex scrolled through his unread messages. Most of it was junk or general emails addressed to the University of Alabama campus. But he eventually found what he was looking for, though seeing the name of the sender made him grimace. Seth had emailed him video files of the most recent Marble Hornets footage, taken from his camera and converted to a shareable format. With the footage in his possession, Alex could easily begin the editing work and make some progress by the end of the weekend. At least Seth could be counted on to get his footage compiled and sent to Alex in a timely fashion. And the more time Alex spent staring at a laptop screen, the less time he’d spend looking at Walnut.

With the click of a button, the files downloaded onto his computer. Alex deftly transferred the footage to his favorite editing program and left to search for some kind of food while the files finished loading. The cupboard contained an assortment of cereals, packets of oatmeal and a sleeve of everything bagels. He decided on the bagels and threw one into the toaster, before slathering on a generous amount of cream cheese. With his food in hand, Alex moved back to his place at the table. He was just about to review the first few minutes of footage when he heard a soft “woof” coming from somewhere beneath him. Startled, he looked down to see Walnut giving him puppy dog eyes from below and staring expectantly at the baked good in his hand. Alex scoffed. “Ugh. No, absolutely not, you’re not getting any of my food. Now go away.” Walnut only whimpered again and licked his chops, scooting himself a little closer towards the bagel. Alex held his bagel hand as far in front of him along the table as he could reach. “I said NO, Walnut! This is MY food! Human food for humans, not dogs! Now go on, shoo!” Walnut placed a single paw on top of his knee, letting out another “woof” for dramatic effect. Alex rolled his eyes hard and tried to push the dog’s paw back to the floor, though Walnut simply put his paw back. Sighing deeply, Alex flopped his head on the table. “I can never win,” he lamented to himself. “Didn’t Seth teach you table manners?” He defeatedly broke off a piece of his bagel and passed it to Walnut, who happily devoured the morsel. Alex shook his head and would’ve returned to his editing if another whimper hadn’t come from behind him this time. Rotating his body to the side, he caught Rocky standing uncomfortably close to the chair and gazing greedily at the same bagel half. Alex flung his hands in the air. “Oh for the love of...of course you’d be here too! And to think I trained you! I swear, if I obeyed your every wish and command there’d be no food left for me and I’d starve! He broke off a second small piece and handed it to Rocky. “That’s enough now. I’m not sacrificing anymore of my food to either of you. Now go lay down.” 

Walnut and Rocky backed off, understanding that they wouldn’t be able to coax more food from the human. But they still hadn’t forgotten about their original goal and strategically placed themselves in the general direction of the back door. Since Alex had ceased to give them attention in favor of the shiny silver object, they began to whine again, shifting their paws impatiently from side to side. Alex continued to type away at his computer, carefully removing the outtakes and organizing the best run throughs into a coherent film. Though, the data files being sent to him had gradually grown smaller as the crew increasingly argued among themselves, decreasing the progress they achieved. The drop in productivity was vexing for Alex to see happen to a film that he’d been planning out for months, which made him feel a twinge of guilt for picking fights with his cast members. On the other hand, he was continuously finding scenes which led him to visibly cringe at the passionless and uninspired approach to the script that his actors were employing. It wasn’t his fault if his actors chose to be incompetent.

Alex was just approaching the final touches to one of the most important scenes in the entire film. It was the part where Brian’s character was first discovering the somber and heart wrenching reality that the hometown he’d returned to no longer held a place for him. The current point Alex was working on was when Brian was venting his frustrations to his childhood best friend, Tim, on a bench in the park. Alex had taken extra care to make sure everything about the scene was perfect: the empty park to represent Brian’s lost sense of belonging, the cloudy sky, the serious expressions. All he had to do now was add the dramatic zoom-ins and music and minute lighting effects that would give the scene the extra emotion it needed to resonate with the audience. Alex was deeply immersed in adjusting the lighting levels when the sound of barking broke through his reverie. The sound started off light and hesitant, like a quick puff of air, but rapidly grew in volume and intensity the longer Alex’s eyes remained fixed on his computer screen. For a short time, Alex attempted to tune out the sound altogether by immersing himself further into the depths of his project. If he squinted hard enough, he could almost get the distraction to take on the characteristics of muffled background noise. But Alex was not someone who worked the best in noisy environments like, say, Brian. Alex needed quiet to effectively pull his thoughts together into something worthwhile, fleshed out and concrete. The barking, which only became louder and more impatient over time, gradually took its toll on his concentration. His thoughts were scrambled and refused to turn up something useful or add to what he already had accomplished so far. He needed to put a stop to this.

Alex slammed the laptop lid down and rose to face what he knew was standing behind him. “Will you two nuisances PLEASE be quiet already? I hear you, I don’t get the point, and both of you are interrupting my creative concentration.” Unfortunately for Alex, Walnut and Rocky had reached the limits of their patience for being ignored, and had therefore resorted to expressing their opinions through barking. Once they’d gained Alex’s attention, they became even more excitable. Rather than listen to Alex, they only added in more theatrical fervor to their attempts at communication. The two dogs began to spin in circles, tapping their paws rapidly on the ground and throwing their heads in the direction they were trying to get Alex to look. Alex raised an eyebrow. “Look, I don’t speak dog, so all of this nonsense of yours is going to go to waste. So if you wouldn’t mind, please be a bit more clear about what you’re trying to tell me. Then I can actually get back to work.” The dogs tilted their heads to the side. Rocky, braver than Walnut in the face of his owner, picked up his paw and rested it on Alex’s knee in the hopes affection would bring Alex into their point of view. Alex frowned but didn’t make a move to push the paw away. “Bud, I’m not ignoring you. That’s pretty impossible at this point, so just...what do you two want, before I lose it from the complete lack of productivity?” Walnut was emboldened by Rocky’s actions and crept forward to place his paw on Alex’s other knee, but froze mid motion when Alex’s head snapped towards him with a reproachful glare. “Oh no, don’t you think about it. We haven’t reached that level of friendship yet.” Walnut whimpered but obediently lowered his paw.

The dogs were almost at a loss at this point. They’d exhausted almost all of their usual methods of communicating with the humans. Alex wasn’t getting their cues, and it wouldn’t be long before his patience wavered on them, which would mean they’d be staying inside. The very thought of the door remaining closed to them made them sad, so they went for the most direct approach possible. Walnut and Rocky ran into the hallway and up to the back door, where they gazed up at the handle and pawed at the wooden surface. Alex watched them go, but his immediate reaction was to rejoice at his apparent freedom and scoff at the utter nonsense of it all. Dogs were just ridiculous. He sat back down at his computer, flipped it open and went to resume his work where he had left off. But Walnut and Rocky had no intention of letting him forget about them. When they noticed that Alex hadn’t followed them, they barked even louder and more indignant than they had before, this time with no intention of stopping. Alex pressed his palms to his eyes and let out the longest sigh of his life. “Why can’t dogs just say what they want like humans do instead of annoying their owners half to death? Where did all of my peace go?” he groaned. He stood back up for what felt like the hundredth time and shouted out towards the hallway. “Hey! What is the big deal you guys? Is starting a huge ruckus really all that necessary? Let’s quiet down now.” But Walnut and Rocky only appeared in the kitchen doorway for a second or two to make eye contact with Alex before turning back down the hallway. The barking didn’t stop. Alex had had it with all of this. He just wanted to be able to think again. Clenching his teeth, Alex followed the dogs into the hallway and opened his mouth as if to yell at them. It was then that he noticed what they were standing by. His eyes moved from the dogs to the closed back door and back to the dogs again. The realization hit him in the face. “Oh,” he said. “Do you want to go outside?” 

In a matter of seconds, Alex’s hand was clutching the doorknob of the open door as he silently watched Walnut and Rocky sprinting joyously around his backyard. The space was rather small, as his university didn’t offer much in the way of housing when it came to a college student’s limited budget, but the dogs didn’t seem to care. The backmost part of the yard was open to the woods, which immediately drew the dogs’ attention with its assortment of wild plants and a thick layer of underbrush that offered a bountiful wonderland of new and exciting smells. The forest cover was dense and confined, leaving little danger of Walnut and Rocky running off into the depths of the trees. They played together out there, leaping over each other and playing tug of war with sticks that were far too big for them to reasonably carry around, but that didn’t stop them from trying. It was sort of freeing to watch. In spite of his earlier hostilities, Alex found he admired the way dogs could go about life so carefree and cheerful without the burden of life’s difficulties weighing them down. They even drew off each other’s positive energy - Walnut’s glee and good natured wrestling inspired playfulness and excitement in Rocky. Alex could never feel or be that free. Walnut and Rocky would never be wrapped up in the anxiety and paranoia and dread that had slowly consumed his own life within the past few months. It just wasn’t fair, and he envied them for it. Humans would be so much happier if they were like dogs. If only he could shoulder aside his own worries with the simple act of going outdoors. The dogs had certainly worked hard to come out here and relish in their own happiness. In the most incredibly annoying way possible, yes, but impressive when it came to determination. He watched them a moment longer, sighed, and slowly shut the door with a quiet “click.” They’d come back inside when they were ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex's opinions on dogs seem to be slowly improving, though he doesn't want to admit it yet. Perhaps when he spends more time around Walnut later on, he'll understand how great they are. Who knows, really. The grudge is pretty strong. 
> 
> Thank you so much if you read this!

**Author's Note:**

> Guess Alex and Walnut's interaction is off to a *rocky* start. Get it? It's a pun!  
> ...I'll see myself out now.
> 
> Credits to my dad for editing this.


End file.
